Analysis

Mushawarat President disassociates from the pro-Israeli lobbying in Delhi

The Milli Gazette

Published Online: Jun 12, 2015

Print Issue: 16-30 June 2015

New Delhi: Dr. Zafarul-Islam Khan, President of the Indian Muslim apex body, the All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat, has disassociated himself from a pro-Israeli lobbying activity organised in a Delhi hotel today in which the organisers declared their opposition to the imminent US agreement with Iran over the latter’s peaceful nuclear programme. Dr Khan said in a message to the organisers, “Please delete my name forthwith from this list. I do not support such a blatant pro-Israel move. Israel is the only country having nuclear arms in the Middle East and it shamefully refuses to sign NPT while Iran has signed NPT, has opened its nuclear facilities to IAEA inspection and has declared at the highest level that it does not intend to make nuclear arms. It is Israel which should be pressurised to destroy its nuclear arsenal consisting of around 1000 nuclear devices. It is Israel which has been blackmailing and threatening its neighbours with nuclear arms and it is Israel which wants to be the sole nuclear power in the Middle East in order to continue its occupation, expansion and blackmailing. I condemn this attempt in Gandhi’s India to so blatantly support Israel. I further doubt that GCC and Sudan have anything to do with this dubious initiative. Mr NK Sharma contacted me on 28 May saying that they are organising an ‘all religion peace summit for ME region’ There was no mention of Iran. I had only agreed to attend this meeting. Now that I know the purpose, I totally disassociate myself with this shameful lobbying for the occupier-expansionist Israel.” Dr. Khan said categorically that he is opposed to any such movement whose sole purpose is to safeguard the Israeli supremacy, occupation and expansion in the Middle East.

The above statement was issued on 4 June, 2015 and appeared in Urdu papers and other publications the next day. Pandit NK sent a long rejoinder on 7 June which said, inter alia, “We organised a Interfaith peace summit for lasting peace in Middle East in the light of unrest, violence & growing tension in the whole region.

Message of peace is realistic when it emanates from India which is Mother land of world peace & messenger of “Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam” . This message is the need of the hour in the purview of growing tension, mistrust in old allies & unrest in ME . It’s the duty of religious leaders of India to show path of peace & brotherhood for which this summit was oriented…If some vested interest want to spin the outcome of the deliberations for their own motives , it’s totally unwarranted & deplorable. It’s also condemnable if someone wants to issue press release with different contents.”

This article appeared in The Milli Gazette print issue of 16-30 June 2015 on page no. 11

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